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By Joel Frady
"What are we doing to be proactive, to really help our
businesses flourish and stay successful in these tough
times?"
This was the question poised by local small business owners
at a meeting held by the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. According
to Cabot Hamilton, executive director of the chamber, the meeting
was held "to find out, from the chamber board members that
actually own or manage a small business, what their problems
and needs are."
Phyllis Van Hoy, director of the Small Business Center at Wilkes
Community College, facilitated the meeting, which illustrated
to both organizations the need for continued education for business
owners in Ashe County.
"Business is different today than it was when a lot of
business owners set up shop or opened their business,"
said Van Hoy. "It was a little bit easier to get their
feet off the ground because business was booming, but now business
is not booming."
Van Hoy noted that they were presented with the questions of
"How do we keep those businesses?" and "How do
we help them to stay afloat?"
They answered with several free seminars, all held on the Ashe
campus of WCC. The first, Savvy Socializing, drew a crowd of
21 to discuss networking. The next free seminar will focus on
the financial concerns of small business owners and will be
held on Tuesday, May 12, from noon to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided
for all those in attendance.
Gary Wolfe, a counselor with SCORE (a counseling organization
for small businesses) and a certified public accountant, will
facilitate the seminar. The panel will be comprised of two local
bankers, Dick Miller of First Citizen's Bank and Bob Washburn
of AF Bank, who will discuss topics such as qualifying for loans,
finding available financial opportunities and business strategies
that bankers recommend.
Hamilton said that WCC has been vital to the project.
"Wilkes Community College has been very gracious to work
with us," said Hamilton, "they have literally rearranged
their class structure in the spring and the summer of this year"
to hold the seminars. He noted that it was important to hold
the seminars in West Jefferson for the convenience of Ashe County
businesses.
"I didn't want things over in Boone or down in Wilkes,"
said Hamilton. "I wanted them here [because] our members
are here, our small businesses are here. They can't take off
and go down to Wilkes or over to Boone, but they might be able
to take off and come to a seminar here.
"What we're trying to do is meet the needs of the small
businesses," he continued. "They make up 80 percent
of the Chamber's membership, and they're going to be the force
that drives our economy for some time to come."
Van Hoy added that the seminar should help business owners because
"we've got the right resources for answering some of the
questions we expect to be raised."
The next free seminar, with an emphasis on marketing in tough
times, will be held in June.
Hamilton noted that WCC and Appalachian State University have
also organized a series of free night classes in Ashe County.
The Start Your Own Business workshop will be held on May 19,
June 2 and June 16 (all Tuesdays) from 6 to 9 p.m.
To find out more about the financial seminar on May 12, call
the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce at (336) 846-9550. To find
out more about the Start Your Own Business workshop, call (828)
Julia Rowland at (828) 262-8325.
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